One of the positive emotions to instill in children is gratitude. By nature toddler is self-centered. Naturally, it is one the difficult virtue to teach our children but not impossible. I have personally experienced the lack of gratitude with my daughter. The more you give, the less is the appreciation. Whenever, I think this is the ultimate gift she would be thrilled to have, as she has been pining for it over weeks. After receiving the coveted award, gratification lasts maybe a week. So a conscious decision was made by me and my husband to make her thankful for our efforts. Even the appreciation of the small things should be taught from kindergarten age, and as parents, we should follow the same rule.

The positivity that surrounds gratitude boost your child emotional quotient which could not be ignored, and it has been scientifically corroborated.

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Gratitude improves mental health. A multitude of negative emotions like frustration and regret are frightening on a rise among the school going children, teenagers and even young adults. Gratitude effectively increases the satiated state of mind and brings happiness and reduces depression.

Gratitude improves self-esteem. Self-Esteem needs to be nurtured for optimal growth in children. Gratitude in a way reduces the social comparison that our kids often encounter. Grateful people instead of being resentful for other wealth and accomplishment carry on their own believe and work.

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Gratitude increases mental strength. We need our kids to recognize what all they have and anchor themselves on their believe even during the difficult times in different phases of their growing up.This helps in fostering resilience and the mental grit to trudge forward.

Being Grateful gives a good night sleep. This a tried and tested habit many of us have been taught by our parents or grandparents to say a small prayer and thank God. Whether you like to bring in the concept of god is up to you, but a little jotting down of something good and grateful sentiments helps to sooth the mind. Children can sleep better and longer peacefully.

Gratitude helps to reduce aggression in kids. The children in today society are becoming more aggressive and impatient and we as parents need to take the reign of it. We all know aggression is detrimental to health. Being a grateful child will help them to build on their sensitivity towards other people. The instant gratification of revenge when some negative comments are made about them is reduced.

​Gratitude helps in forging a new relationship. Being grateful opens up the possibility of being a socially confident person. Thus, in the long run, it would assist them to build new skills and new ideas.

The post millennials children popularly called the "linksters." or generation Z. These kids from day one of their birth are linked to technology.Not only this, they are growing up into adults surrounded by the pressures of social media. The internet and advanced technology could be of help or a disaster. So the delicate balance is required to keep our child safe and secure. The virtual gaming world has taken a significant advancement and even little children from around 2 to 3 years usually start to play games on handheld mobile devices. As small children, their judgement is not yet developed. The potential threats lurking around some of these dark games are frightful. As parents, we should be proactive to save our kids mental and physical health. Recently the life threatening game like "blue whale" which plays havoc on the young mind eventually leading to their untimely deaths have established a fear among parents. Here are the few positive steps to be taken to ensure our children our kid's safety.

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Boxed games: Games that come on a disc or online download and played on a gaming device like a console or a PC.

No to social networking games: Do not encourage your kids to play online games of facebook or whatsapp. If they are using your phone or tab, do try to hide these games. Refrain yourself in indulging in social media games.

Keep the machine clean: When your kids start playing, check whether your computer has an activated security suite: a firewall, anti-spyware software, and anti-virus software. Latest security software is a safe bait. Do spend on a good anti-virus software. Even software for the mobile phones and tabs should be activated if your kids play with it. Anti virus is the best defence against the virus, malware, and online threats.

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Try to remain positively engaged by playing with kids: Make yourself accessible to your children and talk to them about the game.Occasionally participate in the game with your children.

Check the rating: You can check the ratings of the game and decide whether it is age appropriate. Entertainment Rating Software Board’s rating - on game packages, online or in some mobile app storefronts.

Keep the computer or mobile device out in the open: When children are playing games on smartphones or tab or your computer or laptop make them sit is in a central location. In this way, it would be easier to monitor your kids’ online activities.

Enable parental control: Always use built-in parental controls on your Web browser in all the devices including smartphones.

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Try to limit their time of playing games: Some consoles offer parental control features that let parents decide when and for how long their child can play, and with whom they can play. Many new smart phones and tablets often offer settings options which restrict access to certain apps. It can also turn off online access or location services.

Empower your children to handle problems as early as possible: When your child can understand say around 8 years or 9 years teach your kid how to block and report a cyber bully. You can ask them to keep a record of the conversation if they are being harassed. You can also notify the game’s publisher or online service about the offender. Moreover, if required, you can inform the police or the cyber crime department.

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Protect your identity: If your kids are playing a game that features live voice chat, try to refrain them from chatting. Make sure your children know that they should not send out any private details to fellow gammers. Explain it to them what is personal information and not to be disclosed. Encourage your child to use an avatar image profiles who are their favourite, not an actual picture of themselves.

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Teach to kids to make their password.The best way is a sentence format. Kids need have strong passwords for their gaming accounts. A secure password might be a sentence that is at least 12 characters long and easy to remember.

When in doubt, about the game just throw it out: Teach your child not to accept downloads from strangers. This includes helps for gaming and other dangerous games like recently “Blue Whale.”

Teach teenagers not to meet strangers of the virtual world: It is the onus of parents to protect our children from cyber crimes and bullies. We have to be proactive and continually educate our children.Advice them not meet a stranger from the gaming world or social media or chat room in person. People are not always turn out who they say they are.

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Prohibition to play games will not work: Children will still use computers and games consoles, in schools or at friends' houses.So it is wise to educate your child about the cyber risk and management. The outcomes would be more reassuring.

​43Things : Positive parenting

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My friends and family call me Moon . My daughter call me Mom . I had the privilege to wear the hat of a banker , insurance professional , blogger, and a full time mom at different points in my life . While each of these hats has its own color and charm , the last one was the most fulfilling. It completed me as a person ! That's what inspired me to start the website wouldbemothers.com . So I take this opportunity to welcome you to this cozy corner of ours . It's like the proverbial banyan tree in India , where strangers meet to get transformed into friends ! Where all of us get accepted for what we are , without being bogged down by expectations . Join us in this amazing journey of friendship !

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The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.​Nothing contained in these topics is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.